


Third Chances

by Anonymous



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-30
Updated: 2014-06-30
Packaged: 2018-02-06 19:28:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1869633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Science and spycraft.  Maya Hansen, Betty Ross, and Natasha Romanoff in a post-SHIELD world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Third Chances

**Maya**

Maya Hansen didn't even have to look up to know that she was in front of Stark Tower. The unique pattern of whirls and cracks in the pavement told her, because she'd been by here a dozen times, her eyes on the ground until she stopped and tilted her head back to take in the monument Stark built...and then walked on.

She was not a brave woman, and Stark was a vindictive man when it suited him, the whole world knew that much. Even Maya Hansen, who'd tried her best to forget him...she'd never managed to avoid him completely. No matter how hard she concentrated on her work, she still had to eat, and there at the grocery store was Tony Stark, in the checkout lane, smirking on the cover of Time Magazine. Some invention, or some stupid prank, and then it got worse. I am Iron Man, watch me win...

So here's the question: she'd noticed that he always won, she'd burned (not literally, not then) to steal that power of winning for herself...but how had she failed to notice that trying to trick it from him, or force it from him, whatever lengths she was willing to go to -- how had she failed to notice that she'd have to put _herself_ up against him and his propensity for winning?

She didn't want to make that mistake again. 

A dozen times, Maya had come close enough to see the gleaming lobby of Stark Tower through the glass and chrome facade, see the muscled doorman and the discreet security cameras -- and since the helicarriers crashed in DC, a pair of extra guards just past the reception desk as well.

A dozen times she let out her breath and looked up -- dizzying view straight up the side of the tower -- Stark Tower, with Tony Stark at the top... 

Tony Stark, who'd taken one look at her formula all those years ago and come up with a solution. Over the years, his little formula had haunted her. Most days, she hadn't believed it was real. It was just the rich man's cruel version of Fermat's last theorem, a theory without any proof behind it, just some stupid joke -- the whole world knew about Tony Stark's brand of humor too. But what if it wasn't?

And Maya Hansen...she'd tried to do the work that was hers to do, but every time she saw Tony Stark, those whispers in the back of her brain started up again. Is this work yours? Or is it his to do, because he could do it better? He saw something you still don't see... And all the dark nights when she settled down with a glass of wine and a name tag filled with almost comprehensible equations and a determination to get to the bottom of it had taken their toll.

Oh, she'd had breakthroughs. Most of them had been entirely her own work. She'd been almost there for years -- 

And meanwhile Tony Stark amazed the world with his economical sources of green energy and defeated aliens in New York in his free time. 

But here's the tricky bit: she needed his help, far more than she'd needed it before. And she knew she wasn't smart enough to have a chance against him, but she wasn't stupid enough to assume that Tony Stark had mercy. She'd seen his face as he'd watched Pepper Potts writhing and screaming with the pain of Extremis... 

She was desperate, but was she desperate enough? 

Maya turned away, dodging behind a woman in a large hat to hide from the camera over the door, not trusting her new short haircut and lighter colored hair to keep her from being recognized, although it'd worked so far. Twelves times she come only to turn back at the door, and today made it unlucky thirteen.

Holding her head high, clutching her purse tightly against her side, she walked briskly away, mingling with the disinterested crowd. If someone here noticed you, they were probably sizing you up as a mark. The city was as pitiless as the sea, its tides governed by traffic lights. Surf with the wave and stay afloat, keep your eyes open but don't look too hard and you'll just be another face in a sea of strangers. 

She'd indulged her doubt, given a few minutes to daydreams, but now she had to face reality.

When she got to the Chinese restaurant, blinking eyes dazzled by the evening sun in the sudden gloom, the woman she was meeting had already snagged a booth in the back. It was early evening; the rest of the restaurant was sparsely populated. Maya sat down and put her purse in front of her in the center of the table.

Despite her casual polo shirt and mussed hair, Jenna Macintosh looked like she was still in the military; it was something about the stiff angle of her spine. Maya was pretty sure she did it on purpose to be intimidating. It sometimes made Maya wish she had a pair of glasses so she could work her own brand of stereotypical authority.

But Jenna relaxed fractionally as Maya slipped into the booth, and said "I ordered for you." Maya smiled back, a knot of uneasiness loosening a little. They'd argued the last time they met, but Jenna didn't seem to be holding on to it, and even better, Jenna could be counted on to order enough food. Maya's stomach was grumbling; sooner was better. "Thanks," Maya said sincerely. 

They chatted about sports and the weather until the food came, neither of them wanting to rush into things. 

When the food arrived, Jenna took Maya's purse from the center of the table and set it besides herself. Neither of them said anything for the first few minutes -- they both shoveled in the fuel like they hadn't eaten all day -- but it was Maya who finally broke the silence.

"Anything to tell me about the last batch?" she asked, inclining her head toward her purse.

"No," Jenna said. She frowned at Maya, and Maya barely had time to feel uneasy before Jenna added, "Have you thought about what I said, Maya?"

"I've done nothing but think about what you said," Maya said. It was what sent her so often to linger longingly just outside of Stark Tower. "You made good points. But--"

"Let's not argue yet," Jenna said quickly. "I have an offer to convey to you." She grinned, just a quick flash. "Then we can argue."

"Okay, go ahead," Maya said. Trying not to sound grudging, she added, "I owe you that much."

Jenna nodded, acknowledging the truth of that. "You owe me a hearing," she said. "And you owe me silence if you get caught, but we both know that we'd better not get caught by any of the forces out there trawling the waters now that SHIELD is gone. That's why I've made an arrangement with the US Army--"

"What? You told--!" 

Jenna shook her head. "I've been negotiating through a friend. A totally reliable friend."

"Okay," Maya said, reluctantly. She ran a hand through her short hair. "Go on."

"The general I'm talking to has some experience with...unusual abilities, and trying to create or enhance them. Some research projects, I gather. Super Soldier Serum? You'd know more about that than I would. He's willing to take me, no questions asked, and give me back the rank I had before I was injured, give me protection and a purpose, a special unit formed around my abilities...and he'll take you too."

Maya closed her mouth around a big forkful of beef and vegetables so she wouldn't be tempted to protest.

"I told him I had a friend. I didn't tell him anything else. You could be...you know--"

Maya swallowed. "A soldier?" she said, dangerously. She buried her fingers in the feathery hair by her ear -- when had she developed that nervous habit?

Jenna flashed her teeth. "Exactly. You could be just another fighter. He doesn't know you created Extremis, and he won't ask questions. He wants...he's ambitious. And he's built up a lot of capital and has a lot of leeway, apparently, which he's willing to spend to make a place for us and our abilities. It sounds like a good deal."

Maya ostentatiously shoveled down some more beef.

"Think about it, Maya. You're going to need structure in your life, and this could be good for you. And besides that, it's a dangerous world out there, and I won't always be around to save your life."

"Jenna, the last thing I want to do is follow orders," Maya said. "And I'm not as weak as you think I am--"

"I never said--"

"Don't have the guts to be a real leader?" Maya said. It was a quote from the argument they'd had last time, and it still stung.

Jenna shook her head. "Yes, I said that, but all I meant was..."

Maya's mouth twisted into a grimace. In the silence, she could hear all the things Jenna had said before. 

You're too scared of being a follower, Maya. But you're not cut out to be a leader, you don't have the guts. And trust me, a leader has to know when to follow, and when to protect her followers, and that's where you screwed up. You didn't even protect yourself... Maya didn't regret anything she'd said about brainless minions and mindless army discipline, but she was pretty sure none of it had hit home. Jenna had hit her where it hurt.

Now Jenna politely hesitated to grind that defeat in, but that only made her victory more obvious. Maya rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter. I told you before, I'm not a soldier, and I had a team of forty working for me in my former career, plus a boss who was probably certifiable. I do know about people; I know all about working in groups, the good and the bad."

"That's beside the point. I'm not talking about science, Maya, I'm talking about politics. You have to realize that things are different now."

"No, you have to realize that -- Jenna, I can't stop you from wanting to use Extremis like it makes you Captain America or something, a super soldier, but that's not what it's for."

"Maya, that's what everyone out there is using it for," Jenna said sharply. "That's what everyone out there wants. You can't control it, even Tony Stark's monopoly on the stable version can't keep it under wraps. You created Extremis, and now you're tied up with one of the biggest weapons out there. You can try to walk away, but unless you give up Extremis and go to ground somewhere and never do science again, someone's going to find you eventually. And even if you do, how long do you think that's really going to last? Honestly, Maya, what are you going to do without me?"

"I'll figure something out," Maya said stubbornly.

Jenna looked at her skeptically. "Before you say no," she said, "I have one more enticement. General Ross has an in with Stark. He thinks he can get some information about the stable version, in return for that super soldier research I was talking about before. Apparently Stark wants it."

Maya stopped chewing. "Hmm..." she said.

Jenna gave Maya a slow and very satisfied smirk. "Thought that'd get you interested."

"Is he going to tell Tony Stark that he has soldiers using Extremis already?"

"I don't think so," Jenna said. "So Stark will give him whatever 'safe' version he thinks he can get away with, and General Ross will give it to us, and you can reverse engineer it, just for you and me. No need to share."

"What happened to teamwork?"

"I thought that's the way you wanted it. Keep it safe, keep it close, and then we've got aces and everyone else doesn't. What do you say?"

"No," Maya said. It was very hard to say. She and Jenna had been through a lot together, and Jenna's plan depended on Maya. "I don't want to...you don't know what this General will ask of you. What you'll find yourself giving up."

"Maya, it's the US military. It's not some private militia--"

"Please," Maya said. "The Vice President was caught in Killian's web, do you really think--"

"Maya, wake up. You don't seem to realize that you don't have a choice. It's a new world out there ever since SHIELD went inside out. SHIELD was hands-off on this stuff. They were big, they could afford to be. Everyone left is _still_ fighting over the pieces, not sure where the next big fight is going to be, but everyone knows there's going to be one. More than one. And I guarantee you that you don't want to be the scrap they decide to fight over, Maya."

"I'm dead, remember?" But Maya knew that argument wasn't going to fly.

"SHIELD had you listed as dead. That just makes you more desirable if anyone stumbles across you."

Maya sighed. "You don't pull your punches," she observed. "If I go my own way, how much time do I have?"

"I was Special Forces, not Intelligence," Jenna said. "Beats me."

Maya sighed again. 

"We need to stick together," Jenna said. "Come with me, and I'll cover for you on the military stuff, and you can cover for me on the science..."

"I want to," Maya said.

"But..." Jenna prompted.

"Give me some time to think about it," Maya said.

Jenna stared at Maya for a few seconds, then nodded abruptly. "Okay, you have two days."

"You've really made up your mind," Maya said. "You're doing this."

"I told you last time--"

"Okay," Maya said quickly. "I understand, you're a soldier and you can't be a soldier without an army. You're not a minion, you're a part of something bigger, and you like it that way."

"Damn right," Jenna said.

Maya speared the last water chestnut and popped it into her mouth, waiting, but Jenna didn't say anything more about Maya or her leadership -- or followership. 

"That's settled then," Jenna said. Maya forced her lips into a smile. "So...are you up for dessert?"

They returned to light chatter about the weather, for which Maya was grateful. When the bill came, Jenna paid with a credit card, and the waitress dropped the bill off and hurried away. No pen.

Jenna signed with the tip of her finger against the heat-sensitive receipt paper.

"Show-off," Maya said.

"You should learn that too," Jenna said with a laugh. "Discipline."

Maya looked away. "Oh look, I've got your purse," Jenna said in mock surprise, passing it back across the table. Maya didn't even look to make sure the Extremis was gone and the payment was there. She trusted Jenna to stick with agreements...and that's why she should stick with Jenna. She might not trust some US Army General, but Jenna...

"Be careful," Jenna said outside the restaurant.

"You too," Maya said, and they parted. The city was darker now, and neon and shadows predominated. Everyone walked quickly by the dark buildings scattered here and there -- the ones with boards over their ground floor windows like ski masks hiding their features. Maya'd looked at enough public notices pasted to the front of similar buildings to know that they usually represented scars from the alien invasion last spring. 

Maya walked faster too, carried along by the common discomfort. You don't know what's out the in the dark... It could be someone who knows who you are. But Maya had a hard time believing in Jenna's bogeyman. Jenna might think Extremis made Maya interesting, but Maya knew better. Maya had fought to get funding for her research all her life; interest didn't come that easily. 

Besides, Extremis -- her work for so long -- was already out there, and to a lot of people, it belonged to Tony Stark. He'd made it stable, and he'd made it secret again. No one knew exactly how his version of Extremis worked; he was guarding that secret almost as well as he was guarding the secret of the miniature arc reactor. That's what people wanted. They didn't want Maya's work, they wanted Stark's secret.

But here's another question: did she regret it? Knocking on Tony Stark's door the first time, so sure that she could get what she wanted... She'd gone to Tony Stark for help and guidance, and she'd gotten it, though not exactly the way she'd hoped for. Instead of the solution to Extremis, he'd given her one brief glimpse of the solution to being Maya Hansen. He'd goaded her into seeing exactly what she'd become, goaded into taking a stand. She'd seen a chance to stop her headlong tumble into doing the wrong thing, a chance to do what right, a moment that was just like so many other moments, but she knew that she wasn't the same, and this time would be different, this would be the beginning of something new--

And what had she found after that? More regrets. Lying on the floor with her blood draining out of her and her vision going dark and the bitter taste of -- not just defeat, but irrelevance on her tongue. 

She must have jolted some Extremis into her body, during the shock of being shot, or falling...because that wasn't the end. Jenna found her, nursed her through the shock of acclimatization to Extremis, hid her from the fall of AIM, when SHIELD moved in to clean up the remnants Tony Stark had left for them...

She owed Jenna a lot. They'd stuck together all the way from Florida to New York -- scrounging for food and sleeping on couches and one memorable night being run out of town by a drunk Sheriff who thought they were international criminals selling drugs. Jenna'd made contact with other AIM refugees, Maya had put together a portable lab to produce enough Extremis to keep herself and Jenna and a few others stable...

Jenna was right; that couldn't last. Extremis was out there, it wasn't hers any more. And officially, Maya Hansen was dead. Unofficially, she was just as lost. Even more lost than she'd been that day when she knocked on Tony Stark's door in Malibu.

Crossing a street, she saw it again: Stark Tower. But she couldn't look for long, just a glimpse, a distant, instantly recognizable silhouette. No time to stare, no room for hesitations amidst the mass of pedestrians. 

Someone pushed into her from behind as she stumbled, she felt a tug against her purse. She tugged it back; she couldn't tell where the tug came from. Beanpole guy ducking ahead, or a shifting line of people close by -- short woman, burly guy with a bulbous nose, woman awkward in tall heels -- all rushing to make the next light.

She felt heat spreading through her hands, her chest, her cheeks. She opened her mouth to pull in more air; the humid air felt cool against her tongue. And then someone kicked her in the ankle, and as she yelped she felt a tug against her purse again. She reacted instinctively, hitting out with burning hot hands. Mine. I need this money to keep going, thief.

She felt skin against her skin and then char beneath her touch, saw the flinch and the practiced control of the pain, saw a familiar bulbous nose in profile, saw the second kick before it connected and leaped up and to the side, came down hard but--

"Hey!" someone shouted, blocking her way forward.

She shoved, leaving a black handprint across the chest of a white shirt, and ran for it, her purse bouncing against her side, ignoring the shouts behind her. She left them behind, and it wasn't even hard. Then one of the dark buildings offered her a few moments worth of shelter in its shadowed corner; she was breathing hard but not so hard she couldn't hold her breath for a few seconds and listen. No one was chasing her. Who would? 

The heat inside her slipped away like daylight fading to night, and when she'd caught her breath, she stepped out into the stream of pedestrians again like she belonged. New York City, easy to disappear. She let her purse swing jauntily.

She was more than they'd bargained for, and that felt good. Was that what made Jenna love being a soldier? Was that the reward for being a brainy minion? Because the world rewarded force...and it was so easy, when you had it. 

But Killian must have felt like this too. Maya walked faster, turned a corner, scanned the crowd to see if anyone turned with her. But the only thing chasing her was her own thoughts.

You used to have ideals, Tony Stark had said, and now she was a burn and run accident, a bomb waiting to go off, shoving her way around. That's how it happened, wasn't it?

Someone who still has her soul, Tony Stark said. But he'd wanted something too, at the time. And she wondered what Stark would think about the state of Jenna's soul...or vice versa. Jenna would probably laugh if she asked. Jenna didn't worry about souls. You can't change the world, she'd said. You can only choose how the world will use you, and there are worse things than being a soldier.

But Tony Stark believed he could change the world. Was that the seductive illusion of a man who was too rich to understand life? Or was it something more?

Maya quit walking abruptly. She didn't even have to look up to know that she was in front of Stark Tower. The unique pattern of whirls and thin cracks in the pavement told her, because she'd been by here dozens of times, her eyes on the ground until she stopped and tilted her head back to take in the monument Stark built. 

But this time, she didn't look up, she straightened her shoulders and walked right past the doorman and into the lobby.

She didn't know the answers, she didn't even know if Tony Stark had enough mercy to see her, or if he'd see an enemy and have her thrown out. But she was going to find out.


End file.
